Grocery tourism: NZ favourite Perky Nana named one of world’s most sought-after supermarket snacks

Interest in the Propitious Mango Ice Cream, a viral fruit-shaped dessert produced in China, outstripped all other snacks by a mile with social searches up by 436% – an unsurprising feat given its rapid takeover of New Zealand store freezers last year.

Social searches for the United Kingdom’s Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Cookies nearly doubled, growing by 94% year-on-year, while those for the popular Mexican creme-filled cupcakes Marinela Pingüinos also increased by 83%.

Two products from American grocer Trader Joe’s, their Speculoos Cookie Butter and Chili Onion Crunch condiment, also had social searches increase by 69% and 48% respectively.

Herald magazine planning editor Sarah Pollok told Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive the “grocery tourism” trend first gained traction in 2024 and has only become more popular.

“I think there’s been a real desire in recent years for authenticity when we travel,” she said.

“We want to go where the locals go, and I mean what is more authentic than your weekly shop, right?”

Pollok said supermarkets offer ways for travellers to sustain themselves cheaply, and the novelty of foreign food only makes the experience more unique.

“You hear a lot of people going, they’ve got products that they’ve loved in another country and there’s a bit of nostalgia there, like whether there’s like, old American candy or British products that they want to bring home.

“But then sometimes it’s just the bizarre things that you’ll find in other countries.”

Pollok said it showed that what can be commonplace to Kiwis can be felt to others like a novelty.

“You think about Whittaker’s, and people will bring back like dozens of Whittaker’s blocks.

“I was in the supermarket yesterday actually and I saw this guy’s trolley filled with Whittaker’s … It is delicious, but also, you can’t get it anywhere else, right?”

The world’s top 10 most-wanted foreign supermarket snacks:

Fumang Propitious Mango Ice Cream – China (+436%)Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Cookies – UK (+94%)Marinela Pingüinos – Mexico (+83%)Trader Joe’s Chili Onion Crunch – US (+69%)Tine Brunost (Gudbrandsdalsost) – Norway (+51%)Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter – US (+48%)Kuai Kuai Coconut Corn Puffs – Taiwan (+47%)Mister Potato Chips (Mamee) Original Salted Egg – Malaysia (+46%)Cadbury Perky Nana – New Zealand (+43%)Côte d’Or Mignonnette Chocolate Bars – Belgium (+42%)

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